f-Records2

Baltimore Ravens Gameday HQ

1. Brett Favre - 297
Consecutive Games Played
On Sept. 27, 1992, Brett Favre started at quarterback for
the Green Bay Packers, leading the Pack to a 17-3 win over the
Steelers. Favre would play the next 296 games over the next
18 ½ years, making 256 straight games (taking into account
playoff games, Favre played 312 consecutive games). The streak
finally ended on Dec. 10, 2010, due to a shoulder injury. (Punter
Jeff Feagles holds the all-time ironman record, 321 games, a
tribute to his excellence and consistency, but it’s tough to make
the comparison between a quarterback and a player who takes,
on average, five snaps a game.) Can anyone possibly catch Favre?
Peyton Manning looked good until he missed the entire 2011
season with a career-threatening neck injury, and he was still
almost 80 games shy of Favre. The record could still be broken by
a Manning, however—Eli. The Giants’ starting QB has the longest
current active streak, at 151 games (162 including playoffs). To
catch Favre, Manning, who made his first start on Nov. 21, 2004,
would have to start every game for the next nine years plus
the first two of the 2023 season, at which point he would be 42.
Behind, Eli is San Diego QB Philip Rivers, whose streak began
Sept. 11, 2006. Rivers is 10 months younger than Manning, with
whom he was part of a blockbuster 2004 draft day trade, but also
23 games behind him (25 playoff games).
Probability of Record Falling: Zero, at least for the next 10
seasons.
2. Jerry Rice - 1,549 Career Receptions
Jerry Rice was the gold standard for receivers and re-wrote
the record books, setting marks so high almost all appeared well
out of reach. One such record is 1,594 career receptions (5.1 per
game over his 16 years). Rice’s hold of that mark got stronger
following the retirement of future Hall of Fame tight end Tony
Gonzalez (1,325 receptions). But there are a couple of players
with an outside shot. Indianapolis’ Reggie Wayne, the NFL’s
leading active receiver, begins 2014 with 1,006 catches. At 36
and coming off an ACL injury, he needs to average 90.5 catches
over the next six years, which would make him 42 (the same
age at which Rice retired). Andrew Luck throwing to him is
advantageous. Houston’s Andre Johnson (927 catches entering
his 11th season), also has a chance. He’s 32, playing with a chip on
his shoulder, and with four 100-catch seasons in the last six—the
same number Rice had for his
career. Johnson averages six
catches per game; he’ll need to
stay on that pace for the next
seven years to catch Rice on
Week 17 of 2020. Then there’s
Arizona’s Larry Fitzgerald. A
year younger than Johnson,
Fitzgerald has 846 catches,
with two 100-catch seasons.
Although he hasn’t had a
90-catch season since 2010,
should he continue his current
pace of 86 catches per season
he would need almost eight
and a half seasons to catch Rice.
His numbers could increase with Carson Palmer at QB and head
coach Bruce Arians’ offensive system.
Probability of Record Falling: With a greater emphasis in the
passing game and better sports medicine and nutrition, a
wide receiver could break Rice’s record, but he’d still likely
be 40-plus years in age, not very likely.
STEPHEN DUNN/GETTY IMAGES
3. Drew Brees - 54 Consecutive
SPORT CLASSIC
Games with a TD Pass
It took a rare bad game—a career-high five interceptions on
Nov. 29, 2012 in Atlanta—to derail Drew Brees’ streak of games
with a touchdown pass. Beginning with a four-TD day on Oct.
18, 2009 against the New York Giants—the week after only his
second stretch of back-to-back games with a goose egg in the
TD passes column as a Saint—
Brees would throw at least one
scoring aerial over the next 54
games, passing the legendary
John Unitas (47 games), on
Oct. 7, 2010. A 40-yard pass to
Devery Henderson in a win
over San Diego, Brees’ old team,
snapped Johnny U’s record that
lasted 50 years. As impressive
as it is, Brees’ record was
challenged by New England’s
Tom Brady, who passed his way
to 52 straight games, before
his steak was snapped, almost
three years to the day Brees
passed Unitas (Oct. 6, 2013).
MICHAEL THOMAS/GETTY IMAGES SPORT
The record could come under fire this season, as Denver’s Peyton
Manning begins 2014 with a streak of 39 straight games with a
TD pass. Should Manning come up short, Brees’ record would
be safe until at least 2015, as Pittsburgh’s Ben Roethlisberger (29)
and Dallas’ Tony Romo (28) could make headway in 2014 then
challenge late in the 2015 season.
Probability of Record Falling: Judging by Denver’s offense,
there’s a likely chance that Brees will only have a short
reign on this record. Manning averaged 3.4 TDs per game
last season, but with all streak-based records, a lot of
consistency and even more luck is required.
DREW HALLOWELL/GETTY IMAGES SPORT CLASSIC